


Your Father Would Be Proud

by van_writes



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:21:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22759939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/van_writes/pseuds/van_writes
Summary: What if Varian didn't have the truth serum in his bag at the time of his abduction in Cassandra's Revenge? What if Cass had other ways in making him talk?Spoilers for Cassandra's Revenge  (sorta)This is my first fic so critique is welcome!
Comments: 71
Kudos: 316





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Your Father Would Be Proud](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25664512) by [Flynnoleum](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flynnoleum/pseuds/Flynnoleum)



> Varian angst heads up!
> 
> This is my first fic so critique is always welcome!
> 
> Set during Cassandra's Revenge with my own little "what if" twist

Cass towered over Varian, her hand resting boredly on the hilt of her shadow blade as the alchemist stood defiantly in front of the now destroyed translation key from inside the Demanitus Chamber, his mouth drawn back into a self satisfied smirk.  
  
"Is that a fact?" Cass scoffed, stepping forward threateningly. The boy simply continued smiling.  
  
"Oh yeah!" He continued proudly, before the situation finally caught up to him. Cassandra smirked as fear replaced confidence in Varian's eyes, and she took another step forward as the alchemist stepped back. "Ohh..I should not have said that out loud.."  
He whimpered as he pressed his back against the wall, heart pounding in his chest.  
  
"It looks like you're coming with me," Cassandra drew her blade, and in an instant, before Varian could even attempt to call for help, slammed the hilt of it against his temple, silencing him. He let out a weak grunt as he collapsed onto the ground, and Cassandra wasted no time gathering the limp alchemist and tossing him nimbly over her shoulder. Guilt surged through her for a split second but she ignored it. She needed that incantation translated.  
  
This was the only way.  
  
She fled the crumbling chamber, grimacing as Varian's head bounced and lolled against her back as she ran. She immediately imagined his reaction once he came to. He'd be terrified no doubt, maybe even angry.  
  
She didn't take an entire breath until she had made it out into the night air, adrenaline egging her on. Her thought processes were short and brisk, heart pounding as she ran. Keep going. She had to keep going. She swept by the Corona stables and grabbed a palace horse, which gave her a startled look at the sight of her hostage. Again she ignored, yanking at the reigns sternly muttering something along the lines of "come on now". The horse obeyed instantly, and Cassandra swiftly draped Varian's unconscious form over the saddle, her shoulder relieved of the weight. She decided to take Varian's bag, considering he was bound to have some sort of alchemical weapons at his disposal. She led the horse onward, only relaxing when the kingdom of Corona was no longer in sight.  
  
As if on cue, the blue enchanted girl formed from seemingly nothing and floated skeptically at Cassandra's side, eyeing Varian with what Cass assumed was suspicion. "So this is your plan?" She questioned, voice low and untrusting. "Running away?"  
  
The contents of Varian's bag suddenly became extremely uninteresting. "No one is running!" She snapped, glaring at the ghost furiously.  
  
The ghost merely drifted ahead, facing Cass with eyes filled with pity. "One would think that now that you have the power of the black rocks, you wouldn't feel the need to hide--"  
  
"I don't hide from anything!" Cass interrupted, anger coursing through her, making the moonstone at her chest flash threateningly.  
  
"I don't need to remind you that defeat is not an option," the blue girl trailed, turning away gracefully. "And when Rapunzel comes for you, you must be prepared to protect what's rightfully yours." She gazed up at the night sky, as if in thought. "What you need is.."  
  
"A stronghold," Cassandra filled in, a vengeful smile tugging on her lips. "And I know just where to build one."  
  
\- - -  
  
Rapunzel's tower was covered in black rocks, and looked even more of mess now than it did when it had collapsed months ago. Once Cass had arrived at the location of her future stronghold, she loosened her grip on the reign of the horse, who was nervously glancing between her and the unconscious boy on its back.  
  
"Easy now," Cass soothed, but even to her own ears did she realize how sharp her voice sounded. She hoisted Varian off of the saddle and freed the horse on a stretch of grass, letting out a huff of effort as she shifted the alchemist's weight on her shoulder.  
  
Varian made a quiet wheezing sound, but remained still nonetheless, eyes still shut, allowing guilt to creep down Cassandra's spine once more. She sat him down against a wooden post, which was covered with familiar dusty paintstrokes.  
  
Cassandra noticed ancient metal cuffs were already tied around the post, and she stared at the chains for a moment longer than she intended to. She shook the eerie fog clinging to her mind away and got to work, pulling Varian's gloved hands behind the post before slipping them into the cuffs. Hesitantly, she closed them around his wrists, and then backed away.  
  
That's when the doubts came.  
  
"Something wrong?"  
  
The ghostly girl solidified from dust beside Varian's unconscious form, a look of mock curiosity on her face. "Surely you're not having your doubts now, are you?"  
  
Cass clenched her fists before turning away, stalking back to the rubble of the tower. "It's nothing," she scowled, sitting down on a smooth slab of stone. She tugged Varian's bag into her lap and began sifting through it with narrowed eyes. "Soon enough he'll wake up, and I've got to find a way to get him talking."  
  
The blue spirit let out a scoff. "He's a child," she sneered, much to Cass's surprise. "Threaten him and he'll crack like an egg."  
  
Cassandra said nothing as she revealed vials of unknown chemicals, swirling them around curiously, before placing them down at her side. Before long, she had a variety of different colour mixtures at her flank, all in which she was sure were capable of different things.  
  
She looked up at her former friend. Varian head hung as he slept, and his legs were drawn up loosely to his chest, a rather uncomfortable position, but when you're unconscious Cass guessed it didn't really matter  
  
So she waited.  
  
And waited.  
  
And waited.  
  
Finally, a groan escaped his lips, causing Cassandra's to look up from the uninteresting beetle that was journeying across a blade of grass.  
  
"Ngggh.." Varian moaned, brows drawing together in discomfort. He squinted before hazily opening his eyes, mouth parted in confusion. Cass noticed him attempt to move his arms, and felt her heart beat quicken. She had to put on a tough face. He wasn't her friend. He was a tool. Once she was done with him, he'd be useless again.  
  
"Uggnn..wha..?" He mumbled drowsily, before wincing. "...my head.." He scanned the area, his light blue eyes finally falling on Cassandra. Immediately, they bulged with a mixture of fear and anger, the exact reaction Cass figured she'd receive. "H-hey!" He gasped. "Where..where are we?!"  
  
"I need that third incantation, Varian," Cass said grimly, her eyes narrowed.  
  
Varian returned the glare, his chin raised in defiance. "Never."  
  
Cass inwardly cursed, but continued. God, this kid was stubborn. "I figured you'd say that," she snarled, eyes flickering over to Varian's bag. "That's why I went through your little bag of tricks. I found somethings that might change your mind." She scooped three vials at random into her grasp, before stalking over to where the alchemist sat bound.  
  
She noticed him stiffen as she neared him, and a sickly bout of satisfaction caused something near her heart tingle..maybe the moonstone's crave for destruction? Death?  
  
Whatever it was, it pushed all rational thoughts out of her mind. Without hesitation, she uncorked the first vial, and noticed Varian cringe away, fear overtaking every feature of his face.  
  
"C-Cass, that's a highly c-corrosive s-sub-substance," Varian stammered, drawing his knees away from her. "It's not something to be pl--"  
  
"Played with?" Cass finished, purposely sloshing the chemical clumsily. The magenta drop struck the blade of grass and ebbed onto the once eye-catching beetle, sizzling away it's shell and melting it's wings. Cass let out fake gasp. "Oops."  
  
Varian stared at the decaying beetle in terror, his mouth agape in shock. A twinge of the moonstone made Cass relish this reaction.  
  
"Feel like talking now?" She asked innocently, drawing Varian's attention from the melted bug.  
  
"Cassandra," he said evenly, his eyes pleading. "Cass, there's no way you can see this as the right thi--"  
  
"I said, do you feel like talking now?" Cass snarled, holding the vial closer to him. "I'll do it." She added after a moment. "So talk, unless you want to end up like that beetle over there."  
  
Cassandra swore she saw tears ebb at the corner of his eyes, but he blinked them away.  
  
"I...I-I.." He stammered, an annoying habit Cass noticed the boy had. His face suddenly hardened. "I won't do this." He said evenly. "I will never tell you the incantation, Cassandra."  
  
"Oh, he's terrified of you," the familiar sneer of the blue ghost hissed in her ear, sarcasm dripping from her accent.  
  
Cass's lips drew back in renewed anger. "You won't?" She began, mock surprise in her voice. "I beg to differ.." She trailed, tipping the vial slightly, watching as a bright pink drop fell onto Varian's boot.  
  
Immediately, the solution began to eat away a hole (about the size of the moonstone) into his shoe, sizzling just as the shell of the bug did.  
  
It took only a couple of seconds before it burned onto his skin, and once it did, Varian was anything but quiet. He let out an initial screech of pain, following a variety of hushed grunts and hisses of pain as the burn spread. "C-Cass!!" He cried, tears burning in his eyes. "C-Cassie, please!" He begged, any bit of confidence from before dissolved away like the beetle that lay sizzling nearby. His cries of pain struck another powerful chord within the moonstone, and Cassandra felt herself instinctually smile with pride.  
  
The amount of power swarming inside her felt almost unbearably good, and she nearly let out a cackle. "Now, the incantation." She demanded, fluorescent blue hair practically glowing with power.  
  
Varian was thrashing in his restraints, the chain clanking loud alongside his protests. "Cassandra! P-Please, you aren't like this!"  
  
"You have no idea how pathetic you look right now," Cass chuckled, tossing the vial behind her, unfazed as it ate away one of Rapunzel's abandoned paintings she had slashed earlier. She knelt down and in one swift movement, grabbed Varian's jaw between her thumb and hand, forcing him to face her. His eyes were wide with horror as she summoned a black rock with her free hand, and her lips stretched into a smile as he writhed in her grasp.  
  
The spike's point grew closer and closer to his bare throat, and Cass relished his reaction to her power. His face was a complex mixture of terrror, awe, and protest, all in which blanked into pain as it pierced his first layer of flesh. He squirmed his legs in fright, but his upperhalf remained stone still, fear and pain keeping him frozen in place. "N-never.." He managed to croak, his eyes shut tight as he bit his lip.  
  
Cassandra did not like this. Of course, she assumed he knew she wouldn't have. Such an admirable display of stubbornness and courage.  
  
The spike stayed grazing Varian's flesh for a couple of moments longer before she withdrew it in a fit of anger, throwing his head to the side in fury. He let out a shocked gasp as he regained himself, still visibly trembling from the near death encounter.  
  
"Your stubbornness will cost you dearly, boy." Cassandra snarled in a voice unlike her own. She felt the power of the moonstone throb with every beat of her heart, and she swore she could feel her skin crackle as the power gathered within her.  
  
She was dying to release it.  
  
"It seems we've approached this the wrong way," the blue spirit floated to Cass's side without warning, aware that Varian could not see or hear her. "Perhaps you should make him see what he will lose if he does not comply.." The ghost suggested, before fading as soon as she had appeared.  
  
That's when it struck her. Varian's weakness suddenly became so clear, she felt almost ignorant. A sinister smile tugged at her lips, and out of habit, she let out a chuckle. "Oh, brave little Varian," she said in a sing-song voice, stalking back over to him. Satisfaction rose in her as he squirmed to get away from her, but she proceeded without laying a finger on him. "You've shown me that you can hold your little secret even with your life on the line," she paused dramatically. "But, will you be able to hold your tongue if someone else's is?" She sneered, brows raising in defiance.

Varian visibly flinched at this, and Cassandra swore she heard the blue spirit girl encourage her onward.  
  
At last. Control.  
  
With her confidence renewed, Cass stalked around the post, humming a tune at random as she summoned thin black spikes with every step. Varian's head followed her intently, fear of what she had in mind was already creeping back into his eyes like an open book.  
  
"Perhaps, your father--"  
  
"No!" Varian interrupted far too quickly, his voice strained and tight. She could tell by the resigned look on his face that he knew she had peeled back his once confident armor. "I mean, no, you'll never get the translation." He tried, but Cass was smarter than that.  
  
She smiled calmly, kneeling to his level, her face inches from his. "I'm sure your tune will change as soon as I send a single, sharp, unbreakable, black rock through the floorboards of that rickety old house you live in, and impale the man you live to make proud." She abruptly shot a spike up next to him, causing him to yelp in fear. "Just like this one." She added rather matter of factly.  
  
Varian's face broke instantly. "No, please.." He whimpered, head slumping down, his messy black hair falling over his features. After moments of silence, he finally let out a quiet sob. "C-Crescent..high a-above.."  
  
Cass leaned in closer, raising a hand to her ear innocently. "What did you say?"  
  
"Crescent high a-above!" He repeated, louder, tears streaming down his face now.  
  
Cass grasped the scroll and began to write. Once Varian had hesitantly finished, he slumped in exhaustion and disappointment. She patted him unsympathetically on the head.  
  
"Very good, Varian." She hummed. "I'm sure your father would be very proud of you."  
  
Varian said nothing.  
  
But at this point, Cass didn't care. She had gotten what she wanted. Whether he said anything or not was nothing to her. She only smiled.  
  
She extended her hand, and with a voice of pure confidence and defiance, she began to recite the incantation.  
  
"Crescent high above," she demanded, and a large powerful spike rose from the ground. Awe shuddered every bone in her body at the sight, and the surge of power kept her going.  
  
"..evolving as you go.."  
  
The world sprouted with huge forms of the black rocks, all in which took on shapes of her own design, much more powerful than the average spike.  
  
"...raise what lies beneath and let the darkness grow!"  
  
The ground rumbled beneath her, and she felt the wind flatten her hair as she soared upward. Varian let out a cry for help, but it was distant in comparison to the sounds of shifting rocks and blazing wind. Cass smiled at the moon as it gazed down upon her.  
  
"Bend it to my will, consume the sunlight's glow.." Cass snarled as an image of Rapunzel flashed into her mind. "Rise into the sky and let the darkness grow!"  
  
Pillars of rocks and walls began to enclose around her and Varian, and she shut her eyes and inhaled the night air.  
  
"Let....darkness...grow."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The moonstone flashed.
> 
> Cassandra's hand suddenly snagged around Varian's throat.
> 
> Varian can't breathe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sequel chapter! Wasn't planning on writing this, but was deeply motivated by @wallywestfest suggestion! So, enjoy! Not really canon and prepare for some angst and whump!

Darkness clung to every corner, crevice and passageway of Cassandra's stronghold, sealing the ominous atmosphere with the sincerest impression of dread. The incantation Varian had promised himself to keep locked inside at all costs had flown through his lips like a rushing river, bearing a voice of pain and genuine fear for his father. A haunting image of his dad with a glinting black spike suddenly protruding from his back and through his chest struck his mind, making him feel faint. He suddenly felt an overbearing remorse for Rapunzel. Keeping promises _were_ hard after all. How ironic.

Varian's heart shot into his throat as Cass faced him, her bright blue hair disheveled as the power of the moonstone pronounced itself at her chest. He instinctively tried to get away, seething in pain as his foot harshly reminded him that it had been drenched in corrosive acid. Sure, he had accidents in his lab all of the time, but he always had the protection of his gloves, apron or goggles to catch the spills or block the blows of shattered glass and other debris. In fact, never before had he spilled acid on himself, let alone have someone pour it on him. And despite harboring so much knowledge about their chemical components, Varian still wasn't prepared for the pain to be so unbearable. Fear kept him from even remotely looking at the burned hole in his boot, besides, he had more important things to worry about...

Cass stalked over to where Varian was slumped against the post, and Varian's immediate reaction was to writhe away, despite the fact his chains were not giving him any lead. Cassandra's lithe form towered over him, blazing blue eyes filled with annoyance as she placed her hands on her hips. Nimbly, she leaned down and grabbed him by the forearm, her fingers buzzing with something that felt almost like voltage.

"Get up," she snarled, teeth flashing from between her plush blue lips. Her hands snaked around the pole and began to work on the lock, picking it in a second flat.

Varian grimaced as he was jerked to his feet, and he couldn't keep himself from letting out a yelp of pain as he was forced to put weight onto his injured foot. Fire and electricity ran up his leg and darted down to the tips of his toes as he took a shaky first step, eyes already pricking with tears. "C-Cass, I can't--" he stammered, out of breath as his leg buckled. The world rushed towards him in a blur of blue and black, and Varian braced himself as the ground came flying towards his face. Slender but strong arms slid under his and across his chest, abruptly stopping his fall. Varian cringed as Cassandra pulled him backwards with a growl, his mind trying desperately to command his limbs to steady himself. To _free_ himself.

"Stop wriggling," Cassandra barked in his ear, breath icy against his skin. "Get on your feet."

"What part of _'I can't,'_ don’t you understand?!" Varian finally snapped, teeth bared as he tried to pull away. The dull pain in his head pulsated with his racing heart, urging his defiant spirit onward. _Escape. Get away. Ru--_

Before he could even take another breath, he was met with a sharp slap to the face, one that stung, burned, and throbbed for far longer than he anticipated. Cassandra had _hit_ him...? Shock submerged the pain as his gaze travelled to Cass's face. He hesitantly looked into Cassandra’s eyes, searching for _anything_.

For a brief moment, Varian swore he saw a flicker of the old Cassie: her eyes were wide in what he believed to be regret, lips parted in shaky hesitation. But it was gone in a blink, and her face hardened as she furrowed her brows. "Don't you _ever_ speak to me that way again!" She spat, whirling him around to face him. "Understand?"

Varian couldn't decide if following her orders was safer than trying to escape. He laid out his options. He was injured, and probably couldn't run very far before Cass would catch him like a predator would bring down a wounded animal. Varian’s bold determination suddenly began to plummet.

In his head he wanted to be strong. To stand up to her and be more than just a hostage or tool. But the stinging of his cheek and throbbing of his foot smothered the defiant voice in his throat, and he only managed to nod. He felt a twinge of icy fear creep down his spine as Cass’s lips tugged upward into the tiniest smirk. Heck, if he had blinked, he might’ve even missed it.

He truly wished he had.

Cassandra wore an expression of twisted impatience as she grabbed his hands and harshly pulled them forward. Then, with the eerie glow of the moonstone, she formed an extremely tight cuff around his wrists, forcing them together and forbidding them from coming apart. Varian would have been intently fascinated with the opal’s mechanics if not for the situation; the gleam of the moonstone caught his attention, as if it was begging for him to uncover its secrets..

After he was bound again, Cass stepped away, seemingly satisfied. "Now, this’ll only be as difficult as you make it,” she beckoned him forward with the curt tilt of her chin. “So don’t try anything funny, got it?”

Varian couldn't bring himself to say anything. Why did Cass need him? He had given her the powerful and legendary rock bending incantation, been a test subject to his own chemical solution, and witnessed her newly obtained powers first hand. What more use could he be to her? He gazed at her with large, pleading blue eyes, fear forcing a lump in his throat.

"C-Cass," he began, but his voice cracked and sounded small. Strongly, he cleared his throat and tried again, noticing Cassandra stiffen. "Please, just...let me go."

A hopeful silence followed.

Varian searched her eyes, and without having to utter a single word, he silently begged: _Please, this isn’t like you_. Cassandra held her expression, brows sinking down as she began to reassert her dominance in the situation.

He was the hostage, not her, and Varian realized with a substantial amount of dread that his control was slipping away. In a futile attempt at bringing her back into the light, he pressed on hurriedly. “Cass, please we can work this o--”

At this point, Cass's sharp fingers enclose around his forearm, and she jerks him forward with a growl in her throat. All of his efforts at bringing her to her senses, lost. Just like that.

Without his arms to keep balance, Varian nearly crashes into her flank, breath caught in his throat as his foot naturally steps out to catch himself. An explosion of pain shoots up his limb, and with every fiber of his being, Varian stifles his scream with a hiss. "I c-can't...walk." he growled through gritted teeth, voice firm despite the trembling that racked his entire form.

Varian half expected her to hit him, or ignore him completely. He winced as she held him under a constricting gaze.

" _Yes,_ " she pulled him upright with a snarl. "You _can._ "

A haunting silence stretched between them for what felt like ages as they approached a complex array of staircases that shone intensely in the blue moonlight. Varian had walked every other step in silent agony, eyes teary and cheeks flushed as he kept the sobs in his throat. Surely Rapunzel was coming for him? She wouldn’t abandon him _again_...would she? He took another step.

_Pain._

Step.

_Pain._

Step.

_Pain._

The sequence was _agonizingly_ long and looped for what seemed like an eternity, making hot tears trail down Varian’s cheek. The silence that enveloped them made it twenty times harder for him to stifle his whimpers and cries, but he bit his lip, fearful of what Cassandra would do to him if he made another outburst. The bruise on his face decided to remind him by throbbing alongside his footsteps.

_Lovely._

“Then what?” Cassandra’s voice rasped suddenly, jerking Varian from his thoughts. Her voice had cut through the silent cool air like an icy sword, drawing all of his focus, which was initially on the placement of his foot, on her. She glanced to the left, eyes glancing expectantly at absolutely nothing. Varian’s mouth fell agape in confusion as he awaited her next move; maybe an insult about how slow he was walking? Or a threat? But nothing of the sort came, just her voice as her conversation continued, Varian deaf to the recipient.

Doubts started to sprout into the back of his mind--sure he was _far_ from trusting Cassandra’s judgement--but he began to feel like his former friend wasn’t exactly in her right mind currently. And that _scared_ him. It really did.

She let out a skeptical huff after a moment, before suddenly noticing Varian’s stare. “Got something to say?”

For a moment, Varian continued staring, mouth agape. Was she talking to him yet? Or was she still conversing with herself? It took a moment longer than Varian had hoped for his brain to catch up.

So, in response, he flinched, face heating with a complicated mix of embarrassment and fear for his own safety. Cass was talking to _herself_. Cassandra, the once strong minded, intelligent, independent lady-in-waiting who he had admired greatly, was now towering over him with a crazed look in her fluorescent blue eyes, face stretched in a deranged expression.

She looked absolutely insane.

“I-I, uh, no-no, I mean, nothing..!” he stuttered, words crashing into each other in a clumsy panic. Varian felt his lungs tighten as Cass’s piercing eyes looked him up and down...defensively? Varian couldn’t tell.

Cass took what more brisk glance to her left, at what Varian assumed was the mysterious counterpart to the strange conversation before she put her entire focus back on him, much to his dismay. “Pick up the pace,” she ordered, jerking him in front of her as the staircase made its first twist.

Varian’s stomach churned as his foot rolled unevenly, his wound pressing against the inside of his boot as he turned alongside Cass. The pain, which had hardly lessened, flourished as he stepped in the new direction. Varian couldn’t catch his voice in time.

“C-Cassandra..!” he sputtered in agony, brows drawing together as he grimaced. “C-Cass..nggghh..!” The word slipped out before his mind could force his mouth shut. _“Wait!”_

Cassandra froze.

They weren’t moving anymore.

Varian let out more grunts as he tried to distribute his weight to his left side--on his good foot, blind to Cass’s sudden lack of breath.

Cass’s fingers suddenly tightened until they were literally _digging_ into his skin through his sleeve. Her breath was unheard. Her eyes were pinned on the wall across from them. Her lips drew back slowly, revealing gritted teeth that looked so clenched, Varian swore they’d shatter.

“Cass, th-that’s hurting a little,” Varian began timidly, heart rate beginning to increase.

**_The moonstone flashed._ **

Her grip tightened.

 _“C-Cassandra!”_ Varian yelped louder, panic rising in his voice as he tried to retract his arm. She didn’t budge.

**_The moonstone flashed._ **

Cass’s eyes suddenly darted down to the alchemist without blinking, face still frozen in a deranged expression. Varian’s mind reeled as fear took hold of every feature on his face.

Genuine, heart stopping fear.

Cassandra’s hand jerked him around with so much force, Varian nearly slammed into the opposing wall of the narrow flight of stairs, the adrenaline coursing through him making the burn at his foot seem nonexistent now. Her other hand slammed into his throat, icy fingers mercilessly closing around his neck, pinching his windpipe.

And just like that, Varian was breathless.

Varian let out a gag as she lifted him with ease, holding him up off the ground with absolutely no emotion. Her eyes were dull and unblinking, but her brows were furrowed in a familiar rage. Instinctively, Varian clawed at her hand, his feet kicking uselessly as his lungs began to shrink.

“..C-Ca..!” Varian managed to croak, fingers fumbling frantically as he attempted to pry hers apart. Gravity did nothing to help aid Varian in his struggle, and a sickening fog of darkness crept into the corners of his vision.  
 _Fight it..!_ Varian’s brain demanded, despite the black veil that was slowly being draped across his thoughts. If he fell into unconsciousness, he was a goner. He tried to speak again, only to hear the revolting sound of his lungs and throat strain for the intake of air.

“--sss!” 

**_The moonstone flashed._ **

The shadows grew darker..

Varian clenched his teeth as he landed one feeble kick against Cassandra’s thigh before he resumed a dangling position, gloved hands clutching her wrist for dear life. Fatigueness was steadily claiming him, swallowing his mind at the rate of quicksand, slow and yet so painfully fast. His vision grew watery, and Varian couldn’t tell if it was because he was choking or if it was that he was genuinely crying for his life. For everything he would be leaving behind.. _Dad, I’m so sorry.._

His fingers, which were once desperately digging into Cass’s, loosened, and his entire body began to feel weightless. The pressure on his throat, which was initially so heart stoppingly icy, melted into his skin and became almost intangible--like a shadow against a bright yellow wall.

Varian knew his mind was drifting. The lack of oxygen to the brain did crazy stuff to you. In a matter of minutes he’d...

“P-Plea..se..” he gasped, hands falling limply to his sides as his eyelids began to flutter. 

Cassandra’s face was so pale, her mouth still stretched into a furious snarl. She stared into his eyes as if he had taken _everything_ from her. A look of hunger for vengeance. For death.

**_The moonstone flashed._ **

Varian’s vision began to unfocus substantially, head lolling slightly. He was spinning. In one last attempt to free himself, Varian reached out with his hand, finger coming so close to the flashing opal. You know, now that everything around him was fading, the glimmer of the moonstone did seem alluring. Something drove his final ounces of will power to just...touch it. To harness its light in his hands.. It was so mysterious. It piqued the same bout of curiosity as the black rocks did when they first began sprouting through the floorboards of his home in Old Corona..

He saw Dad.

A teeny, _tiny_ little string of what looked like electricity sprouted out of the moonstone, connecting briefly with Varian’s fingertip before shooting up Cassandra’s arm and engulfing it in blinding blue light far too quickly to spur a reaction from either of them.

Cass’s eyes snap wide, and her bottom lip twitches.

She instantly opens her grasp, and Varian falls to the ground in a gasping heap. His brain spins like a top as he slowly regains the feeling in his limbs. Greedily, he gulps in air, eyes battling to stay open and focused.

Cass’s face was one of pure terror. She took a shaky step backwards, lip still quivering with what Varian thought to be regret? Her eyes were wide and boring into the hand that she had around Varian’s throat only seconds before, her breathing staggering. She looked vulnerable. Weak. Maybe even confused, as if she had just been jerked from a trance.

Varian felt dizzy. His comprehension of the moonstone, Cass’s actions, his injuries, emotions and plans of escaping suddenly didn’t matter anymore. His world vanished into blissful darkness. 

When Varian opened his eyes again, he found himself in a cramped rock cage thousands of feet in the air, making his stomach plummet. He drowsily leaned his head against the rock bars of his prison.

 _You’ll be safe here._ A voice whispered.

Something inside Varian knew it was Cass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, I may have went overboard here but I got on a writing kick and couldn't stop :0 whoops
> 
> I have mixed feelings about this chappie, I kinda feel like it could just be an additional ending to the first for anyone who really wants it, but y'know! 
> 
> I wholeheartedly believe that the moonstone in a way, manipulates Cass into craving death and decay, so thus this chapter was born!
> 
> Leave a comment! :) 
> 
> oh yeah only one day left and we'll be balling our eyes out, I'm so not prepared for sunday


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassandra's guilt is taking hold and her defiant armor cracks when her destiny is questioned. Was it worth it? Betraying Rapunzel? Grabbing the moonstone? Kidnapping Varian? 
> 
> Was it worth it?
> 
> Cass doesn't seem to know anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo final chapter of this angsty, whump filled collection of oneshots that sprouted into my head at random and motivated by my fellow readers! Its a little looonger than my other chapters but I felt like I needed to express a lot of emotion and plot points in a very little amount of time since I dragged out chapter 2. Anyways hope you enjoy this and I thank you all for the support!!! ♡♡♡♡♡♡

_**Wither and decay..** _

_C-Cassandra!!_

**_End this destiny.._ **

_C-Ca..!_

**_Break these earthly chains.._ **

_\--sss..!_

**_And set the spirit free.._ **

_P-plea..se.._

**_The spirit fr--_ **

Light.  


A _blinding_ blue light seized her in a single heartbeat, shooting a rush of energy through her veins and snapping her through a wormhole that burned every muscle in her body with a merciless fire. She would have screamed if it hadn’t been for how fast it was. The haunting lyrics that had passed Rapunzel's lips back at the Great Tree came to a startling stop in her mind. Her vision, which had darkened during the duration of the song, suddenly snapped into focus, making her wince.

The first thing Cass notices is her hand. Its burning. Not literally, of course. More like, burning in _effort_ to hold something high above her head.

 _Varian_.

Her eyes meet his, face feeling strained as her scowl instantly melted away.

Her lip twitches and the hammering of her heart stops.

Cassandra immediately thrusts her fingers apart, releasing a gasping Varian in an instant. He hits the stony ground with a hollow _thud_ , hands instinctively reaching for his neck as if it would encourage the air to flow into his lungs quicker. Cassandra quickly steps back, body trembling as the moonstone at her chest emits hungry zaps towards Varian’s wheezing form. 

_What have I done?_ Cassandra’s mind instantly shudders, attention still entirely pinned on the hand that had nearly stolen Varian’s life for good. She knew what she was doing when she circled her fingers around his throat--how her mind and heart screamed for her to stop and yet she kept going. She had squeezed tighter and _tighter_ with every passing note of that _wretched_ song, all whilst her other half, the _true_ Cassandra, waited on the sidelines like a helpless bystander.

Cassandra couldn’t breathe. 

Truly ironic for someone who was just strangling an innocent kid, but she was breathless nonetheless. Cass shakily clasped her hands over the opal, as if she could smother its power that easily, before allowing herself to even remotely glance in Varian’s direction. 

He was, despite the morbid thoughts in her mind, still alive, and somehow was able to roll over onto his side with what little strength he had left in order to see her. To trace her next move. Cass felt overwhelmingly nauseous, instinctively drawing in a shaky breath as her legs threatened to buckle. Suddenly, every ounce of her being ordered her to give up. To go crawling back to Rapunzel’s side and continue mundane tasks like cleaning swords or tidying tables. To escape the glazed blue gaze of Varian as he clutched himself in a defensive hug.

“C-Cass..” Varian’s voice suddenly rasped, making Cassandra flinch. His eyes were bloodshot and teary, brows drawn together in exhaustion. “ _Why..?”_

For the first time in Cassandra’s life, she wanted to fall back. To escape the spotlight she had strived for for so many years and sink into the shadows. She urged her lips to part and make words but none came, just the sickening sound of Varian’s coughs and gasps for more breath. The moonstone lashed out between her fingers, sending angry, bright blue sparks across the twisting stairwell. 

Cassandra noticed Varian attempt to sit up, his elbows wobbling as he struggled to push himself upright. "P-Please," he wheezed, before collapsing back onto his chest with a grunt. " _Please_ don't hurt me."

Bile rose in Cassandra's throat, and it took every ounce of will power to keep it down. Her legs trembled as she took another step backwards. 

_You could have killed him.._ a voice--no-- _her voice_ tells her. _Monster. That's what you've become.._

Cass inhaled deeply, but little air filled her lungs. She finally lets her murderous hand fall limply to her side, her mind swimming in fear and self loathe. She tried to think of what to say: _Varian, I'm sorry.. I would never want to hurt you.. It wasn't me..it was the moonstone.._

Her voice stayed locked away despite every apology or explanation that sprang into mind, and she bit her lip as silence claimed her tower.

Suddenly, an icy sensation swept through her for a second, and Cass realized with an extensive amount of dread that the blue ghost had floated through her and towards Varian, who was still trying desperately to get to his feet. 

" _Sleep, little Demanitus.."_ the ghost crooned simply, tiny hands hovering over the alchemist's head. Varian's face was lax and he collapsed in an instant, his pained expression melting away into blissful unconsciousness. 

No more coughing or gagging. Just...silence.

Cass whirled around, heart pounding in her chest as she brought her hands up to her face. She thrusted her fingers through her hair as guilt surged within, tightening her stomach and crushing her lungs. Finally, she spoke. "What...did you do?"

The ghostly girl abandoned Varian with a look of distaste to face her. "Sent him to dreamland," she replied casually, patting the front of her frilly dress nonchalantly. "Can't have him worming his way into _your_ destiny, can we?" At this, the girl gave the moonstone a bitter glare. 

Cass glanced down at the opal before her expression hardened. Her defensive walls shot up. "What do you mean?"

The blue spirit scoffed. "You know what I mean," she raised a brow. "That child is not... _normal_ ," the ghost elaborated after a moment of piercing silence. "You saw how the moonstone reacted in your moment of..." the blue girl trailed in thought. "...doubt and guilt.."

Cassandra clenched her teeth. "I _am_ in control," she snapped, feet instinctively carrying her away from the blue nuisance. Her heart was slamming in her chest as more bitter thoughts swarmed her mind.

Despite her heart's orders to keep walking, Cass found herself halting in front of Varian's sleeping form. Now that she was this close, she could see the cuts and bruises patterned across his face, all in which she realizes were in result of _her_. Her fluorescent blue eyes land on a particular whelp on his cheekbone, and guilt sends a knife into her stomach. 

**_What part of 'I can't,' don't you understand?!_ **

And then, her hand struck him. 

As soon as she had slapped him, regret ushered an apology into her mouth, but _something_ kept her jaw clenched. The moonstone flickered before dulling again. 

She was losing control from the very beginning.

"Are you?" The ghost girl's voice jerked her from her mind. The spirit vanished before reappearing gracefully in front of her, glittering eyes filled with distrust. "Is this what your _control_ looks like?" She gestures towards Varian with mock remorse.

Cassandra's scowl drifts away. The knife of guilt _twists_. 

"Shut up," Cass says lowly before squeezing her eyes shut. The ghost girl's voice sounds again, but Cass is louder. "I SAID, _SHUT UP!"_

_**The moonstone flashed.** _

Rocks shoot up from every direction, some in which form a protective tent around Cassandra, while others are jutting out erratically like porcupine quills. The sound of crushing obsidian lasted for what felt like an eternity before silence returned to her stronghold.

A quietness that calmed her and yet taunted her at the same time.

"The moonstone will claim anything when given the opportunity, Cassandra." 

That girl. That _damned_ spirit.

"Many will try to stop you from pursuing your destiny," she paused before her voice took on a deadlier tone. "But the only thing keeping you from claiming it now is _yourself_."

And then, silence at last.

\- - -

To say Rapunzel was terrified would be an understatement. She was beyond _terrified._ On the night of Varian's kidnapping her sleep was littered with horrendous nightmares and dreams that would jolt her awake drenched in sweat and breathless. She couldn't count on both hands how many times Pascal had tried to assure her during the night. 

"Thanks, buddy," Rapunzel whispered, gently running her index finger down his head in tiny, grateful circles. She wiped the sweat from her brow before kicking her legs over the side of the bed and getting up. There was no sunlight, so Rapunzel guessed it was still early. Her throat demanded she grab a glass of water before anything else, but the familiarity of the act made her cringe. In fact, being able to simply go to bed like nothing had even happened made her feel uncomfortable. 

Her friend was in _danger._ How could she just call it a night and put off rescuing him later? She hunches over and holds her head in her hands as a sob threatens to burst from her throat. 

Her mind and heart was torn. Varian was in trouble, at the hands of her best friend-- _sister_ even. Cass wouldn't hurt him, _would she_? 

Suddenly, one of her nightmares shoots through her train of thought, flashing the familiar and horrid images across her vision and overwhelming her ears with _terrible_ screams of pain. She sees Varian's refusal to give Cassandra the incantation, and his bold but slowly withering determination to keep the incantation from her as she tortures him. 

_"Rapunzel! Please don't leave me here!"_

Her vision is suddenly assaulted by a bloodied Varian, his voice _begging_ her for help. She felt sick. Tears were burning in Rapunzel's eyes now. It's not real, he's okay...

_"Please! You promised!"_

Rapunzel shut her eyes tight and pounded her temple, teeth gritted as she wished the vision away. Varian's voice continued despite her conscious's futile attempt at telling her that it wasn't real. It was like the red rocks--yes, just hallucinations. None of this was re--

 _"What is the third incantation?"_

Cassandra's voice was so unfamiliar, but Rapunzel knew without doubt it was her. She could _feel_ the scowl on her face at those words. She could _see_ the terror radiating off of Varian as he rose his chin in defiance.

_"Oh, he's terrified of you.."_

A voice, one she didn't recognize, echoed in her ears, the strange accent dripping off of the sarcastic remark. 

Before Rapunzel could ponder upon it any longer, she was jerked back into the present. Much to her surprise, Eugene was crouched in front of her, hands gentle and yet firmly shaking her shoulders.

Her hands were clenching the bed sheets so tightly, her knuckles were shaking and seemingly glowing white.

"Blondie?" He whisper-yelled, brown eyes filled with a mix of panic and concern. He relaxed as she blinked at him, a small smile of relief tugging against his lips.

Rapunzel instantly threw her arms around Eugene and hugged him, finally letting the tears slide down her cheeks. "E-Eugene, I'm sorry," she whimpered, green eyes glistening as she harbored another wave of emotion. "I'm just..worried about Varian and Cass."

Eugene hummed a reassurance before breaking the embrace. "Its okay, Sunshine, I am too," he brushed a tear away with his thumb. After a moment, he cleared his throat hesitantly. "I didn't sleep well either." He confessed quietly, hand retreating to the back of his neck. "I just..don't know how to deal with..." he looks away briefly. "..Cassandra.." 

Rapunzel held his hand in hers, interlocking her fingers with his. "Me neither.." she sniffled, eyes downcast as she fiddled with the hem of his glove. "I don't know what to think anymore...One day she's at our side, the next, she's..." Rapunzel trails, voice wavering. She let out a fearful sigh. 

Eugene and Rapunzel sit together in silence.

The sun peeks through the curtains.

Rapunzel finally untucks her face from the crook of Eugene's neck and they make eye contact. "Let's round up Lance and the others," she says firmly, a spark of her usual self edging her voice. "We've got an alchemist to save."

\- - -

_**Varian's opened his eyes hazily, head throbbing as he squinted. His vision was obscured in a toxic pink light, making the air around him feel strangely hot and nauseating against his skin. It was only when he noticed he was lying mere feet away from the edge of a strange floating island did he jolt upright, a yell hanging in his throat as his heart skipped a beat. He scrambled backwards and towards the center of whatever rocky platform he was on before rising to his feet, stomach churning as his brain swam.**_

_**Instinctually, Varian remembered the chemical burn.**_

**_His eyes immediately flicker down at his shoe, and his breath hitches._ **

**_There was no hole in his boot._ **

**_Experimentally, he put his weight on the once injured foot and prepared to feel a fiery pain, but none came. Mystified, Varian subconsciously brought his hand to his cheekbone, gloved fingers grazing against his face in search of the smarting bruise Cass had given him with the back of her hand._ **

**_Nothing._ **

**_Relief surged through him for a heartbeat before dread took its place. Was he dead? Did someone heal him? Where was he?_ **

**_Suddenly, the sound of creaking wood ripped Varian from his thoughts. A giant tree with no leaves floated aimlessly towards him, branches groaning in distress as the breeze battered its limbs._ **

**_Well, that's not the strangest thing he's seen lately but.._ **

**_"Hello," a woman's voice echoed loudly, the sudden sound making Varian flinch. A giant blue head suddenly formed at the top of the dead tree, making Varian's eyes widen in disbelief._ **

**_He immediately took a step back. "Wha..woah..wh-where am I--who are you?" He stammered, chest tightening as the face got closer. Too close._**

**_Varian couldn't decide what freaked him out more: the hungry sparkle in her blue, glittering eyes or the unnatural stretch of her smile as she regarded him._**

**_"Just a friend," she replied lightly, although her expression offered Varian no assurances. "Or at least I'd like to be..."_ **

****\- - -

Cass didn't withdraw the rocks until she had sensed Rapunzel and the others leaving the castle. Once she did, however, she noticed her little blue 'friend' was no where to be seen. As if on instinct, she blinks over at the spot where she had last seen Varian, and is relieved to see he's still there, curled up in a defensive little ball. Hesitantly, she approached him and crouched down, hand tracing his jawline before pinning his pulse. A wave of relief washes over her once she finds the vein and Cassandra lets out a shaky breath before rising to her full height. 

He looked so battered and lifeless, Cass would have mistaken him for dead if she hadn't just checked his pulse. Her eyes drift from the bruise on his cheek to the dark rings that covered his neck. She stared for far longer than she intended to, half expecting the blue spirit to appear at her shoulder and question her motives.

No ghost came.

Just her, Varian and the moonstone. Cass brought a hand gingerly to her face when she felt her eyelashes clinging onto tears, before she swiped them away, jaw clenched in disgust with herself. 

How could she have done this? Why did she do this? Varian didn't deserve this. Where was Rapunzel?

_C-Cassie, please!_

Ah, her insecurities suddenly take hold, amplifying Varian's cries of pain into her line of thought. The cries she was deaf to in his moments of peril, are suddenly unbearable to listen to.

_Cassandra, listen! I swear its not too late!_

Rapunzel.

Her voice suddenly overlayed Varian's making Cassandra nearly crumple in defeat.

_So before another line gets crossed, and everything we had is lost...just **wait**..._

Cass clenched her fists.

_C-Cassandra..! Nggnn...! **Wait!**_

That's _all_ she's ever done. Stand on the sidelines and serve everyone but herself. In the one moment she had seized the spotlight, everyone who supposedly cared about her wanted to jerk her from her high-horse and belittle her again. She wasn't meant to live a life of glory. She was to serve Princess Rapunzel and wait in the wings until her father deemed she was capable of guarding an entrance of a castle she knew _everything_ about at age 9.

Rapunzel was a girl all about following dreams, and yet wouldn't seem to understand that Cass had her own goals and ambitions. Why was it a crime to follow _her_ dreams?

Cass tore herself from the depths of her mind and lashed out, a couple of her traditional spikes bolting up out of the floor in a random wave, lighting up the space in a erratic blue light. She let out a hiss of frustration, fingers instinctively ripping through her hair as her mind raced. 

Her eyes fall on Varian as he twitched in his sleep. **_The moonstone flashed._**

No. Not again..

Without any more hesitation, she brought her hands together, palms grazing and fingers curling as she formed a rocky cage around the unconscious alchemist. The black rocks groaned in protest but obeyed her command, effortlessly sealing Varian within the tiny prison before silencing.

Cass approached the cage and pressed her hands against the claw-like bars, whispering a quiet assurance before thrusting her fist and sending the cage out of the tower and far away from her. 

Away from the _moonstone._

With Varian gone, Cass was left with her thoughts again. Her persistent little voice of reason she had neglected and smothered suddenly broke free from the back of her mind, taking the spotlight.

_Give up._

_Rapunzel. Eugene. Lance. Varian. Dad. Damn it, even the animals._

_They believe in you. They want you back. They trust you. They'll forgive you.._

Cass falls to her knees, hands clinging onto a stray spike like it was her lifeline. She leans her forehead against its cool surface, almost finding comfort in its presence. She shuts her eyes as a tear slips through her lashes, gliding down her cheek gracefully before dripping off of her chin.

Suddenly, the icy surface of the black rock warmed, making Cassandra blink in surprise. 

_Cassandra._

Cass stared at the obsidian. Rapunzel..?

_Please...just...let me in._

\- - -

Rapunzel leans against the black rock, eyes closed and brows drawn together as she inhales a shaky breath. Cassandra was there. She could _feel_ her icy presence in the shiny black rock. Suddenly, the cool surface lit up blue.

_You don't understand..you'll never understand._

And then she was gone.

Rapunzel steps away from the dulling spike with a defeated sigh. Eugene instantly sided her, bringing her into supportive side-hug. "You've done what you can, Sunshine," he says softly, before gently kissing the top of her head. "Cass has chosen her path for now, what we need to focus on, is rescuing Varian." 

Rapunzel detected a sharpness in her boyfriend's voice that she wasn't expecting, but only managed to nod in agreement. He was right. Varian needed her. She couldn't let him down, no, _not again_. 

Her lips pursed into a determined expression. "You're right," she said as she and the others approach the base of Cassandra's stronghold. "Come on, we don't have much time."

Just as she pressed her hand against the stronghold, it cracked open, an entrance forming almost at her will. Rapunzel would have liked to have thought Cass was welcoming her inside in search of forgiveness, but she knew better than that. Cass wasn't going to give up that easily..

. . . 

Rapunzel and Eugene made their way up the stairs, steps quick and silent as they part ways with Lance and the others. 

"Lance is taking the girls back to the entrance," Eugene says quietly, a small grateful smile spreading across his face. 

Rapunzel felt her own lips pull upwards. "He's good for them," she replies warmly, despite the icy floor underfoot. Her eyes focus ahead as they approach the top of the staircase, smile fading. Her hand clings to the strap of her turquoise friendship bag, thumb rubbing the buckle in a futile attempt at calming her nerves. She was afraid of what she was going to see. 

What if she said the wrong thing to Cassandra? What if this is her _only_ chance to save her? 

A wave of new questions and worries suddenly crashes into her with so much force, Rapunzel almost spoke them aloud.

Was Varian okay? Was he safe? Had Cass gotten the incantation? How else could she form such a magnificent tower? What was she planning? 

Pascal let out a gentle chirp, bringing Rapunzel out of her thoughts. His big brown eyes were filled with concern as he rubbed his scaly head on her cheek.

Rapunzel flinched before stroking the chameleon, naturally smiling. "You're always there for me, Pascal," she whispered to her dear friend, careful not to let Eugene hear. "Thanks for _everything_." She pecked a tiny kiss on his head before facing Eugene, who had stepped toward a giant crevice in the wall that revealed the afternoon sky. 

"Uh, I think I found Varian," he said quietly, dread weighing his voice down. 

Rapunzel immediately sided him, worried eyes widening as she took in the sight. Before her, stretched a narrow bridge made entirely out of the black rocks, and at the end of it was a sphere like prison. She squinted as a tiny and distant flash caught her attention.

Varian's goggles glinted in the sunlight.

\- - -

_**"You want to help Cassandra, don't you?"** _

**_Varian's feet shuffled back, eyes still pinned on the blue head until it drifted out of sight. He peered over the edge despite his fear of heights, before wincing as the head joined a rather tiny body before eerily floating upright._ **

**_"W-Well, I tried but she didn't lis--"_ **

**_"There is a way," the girl interrupted, voice almost demanding Varian to stop and listen. "...to save her." Her eyes dilated. "The final incantation," she sneers at Varian's shock. "Is all you need."_ **

**_Varian found himself sputtering. "But th-there is no other incantation..it isn't on the scroll!" He instinctively revealed the Demanitus scroll from his bag, not questioning how it got there considering Cass had taken it earlier._ **

**_The blue spirit scoffed. "One would think that you of all people would have seen it sooner," she drifted away from him, and Varian couldn't help but trailing after her._ **

**_"H-Hey! Uh, wait!" Varian began timidly, and suddenly the scroll was ripped from his grasp by an unknown force, nearly making him yelp._ **

**_The ancient paper spiraled high into the magenta sky, before slamming down, its contents enlarged and blocking his view like a giant wall._ **

**_"You must use the sun, to see the sun," the girl's voice instructed, and Varian felt his own brows furrow in frustration._ **

**_"What? 'Use the sun to see the sun?' That doesn't make any--I don't understand!" Varian grimaced as the symbols broke free from the page and swiveled around him, making his head pound with every beat of his heart._ **

**_Suddenly they slammed into ground near his foot, immediately bursting into toxic green flames. Varian scrambled backwards as the girl's head reappeared from behind the growing wall of sickly hot fire, smile ever so wide and glinting in his direction. He felt his left heel scrape the edge of the island, making his breath hitch as he lost his balance._ **

**_He grounded his right foot in front of him, only to quickly withdraw it when the ravaging green flames seized him, devouring his boot in a bright green light. A scream ripped out of his throat as the familiar burning sensation bit into his foot without mercy before sending him over the edge and into a free fall._ **

**_Varian flailed as the island flew above him. The wind cradled him it seemed, except he knew he was falling..falling...falling...he didn't realize he was screaming the entire time until his voice cracked and pain began to slither around his throat. Icy fingers.._ **

**_His cheek throbbed again. His foot burned. His breath was stolen._ **

****Varian awoke in so much pain. He grimaced as he turned his head and realized he was a staggering 800 feet in the air inside a cramped cage made entirely out of Cassandra's black rock. His prison groaned under his weight and the wind cut through his clothes, making him shiver in discomfort. He weakly leaned against the bars, tired but too scared to shut his eyes before a familiar voice drifted into his ears.

_You'll be safe here._

\- - -

Varian _ached_.

The events of the day only became more extreme after he discovered the Hope Incantation, not to mention have Rapunzel _use_ it. The idea of _that_ much power made his brain swim, _heck_ , the idea of simple magic perplexed him enough.

His wounds, both physically and mentally, began to pronounce themselves as Lance carefully passed him to Eugene like an ancient artifact. Despite how gentle he was, Varian couldn't stop a groan of pain from escaping his mouth as his foot pressed against Eugene's flank. 

Eugene held him firmly against his chest, arms pressing against him in a way that instantly reminded him of how his father used to hold him when he was younger. 

_Dad.. I miss you already.._

Varian felt a tiny tear creep out of the corners of his eyes, not quite full enough to drip from his lashes, but noticeable nonetheless. 

" _Varian!"_ Rapunzel's voice sounded distant, and yet filled with emotion as she rushed to Eugene. "Oh, thank _goodness_ you're okay!" Her hands slipped past Eugene's shoulder and cupped the alchemist's cheek, her touch so warm and comforting. Almost _...maternal_.. Varian leaned into her hand and inhaled her flowery scent. 

" _R-Rapunzel_ ," he wheezed, a tiny smile forming across his face. "You came back for me."

Her face lit up with emotion but her slender fingers continued to gently caress his battered face. " _Of course I did!_ Varian, I would _never_ leave you behind," she said firmly, her green eyes dissolving every doubt Varian had in an instant. "Never again." She whispered, almost to quietly for Varian to hear. 

Varian blinked up at Eugene. His idol gave him his signature smile. "Glad you're okay, kid," he said gently, voice rumbling against Varian's head. More humorously, he added, "Oh, and thank Lance for that _brilliant_ catch," he winked, earning a prideful chuckle from the darker man. 

"All in a day's work!" Lance exclaimed, lifting Catalina and Kiera onto each shoulder with ease. "Its good to see you still in one piece, kiddo."

For the first time in the two days he was taken against his will and tortured at the hands of one he admired did Varian feel truly relieved and safe.

Eugene's protecting embrace, voice rumbling against his face as the ex-thief soothed his worries.

Rapunzel's loving touch and gentle voice cradling his broken mind with warm assurances: _you are going to be okay, you are brave, you are strong, you've made us so proud.._

Lance's jovial singing, lulling him to sleep without fear of being haunted by bulging blue eyes and glinting teeth. 

Varian snuggled against Eugene's vest, a peaceful smile drifting onto his face as a familiar gray pelt slipped under his limp hand. "Ruddy..? Oh, Ruddiger, I missed you, buddy," he breathed, eyelids drooping as he stroked the raccoon. 

Ruddiger burrowed his snout under Varian's arm, chattering happily. Everything was perfect. He was _safe._

Just as he allowed his eyes to close, a familiar figure outlined in electric blue light flashed briefly across his vision, shoulders surprisingly sagged in defeat. Varian let out a ragged breath before sleep claimed him.

_Cass...what more could you possibly lose?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewrote this chapter like 6 times but voila! This entire story--my very first posted here-- really brought me out of my comfort zone at some points, since I don't tend to share many of my ideas publically. It's also allows me to express some angst that I sometimes feel almost embarrassed to share or write despite how much I love to pack it in my stories. 
> 
> I just wanted to tell you all how much I appreciate the feedback. It really makes writing a rewarding experience!! :))
> 
> Alsoooo! Since this is the end of this story, I don't mind suggestions for future fics! Share your ideas in the comments and I just might turn it into a fic like this!😄😄😄

**Author's Note:**

> Poor Varian bean needs protection ;-; I love old Cass and I want her backkk 
> 
> Let me know what you think!
> 
> ALSO: did anyone notice that Varian was chained to the same pillar as Eugene (in the movie) ?


End file.
